Potable water: Amid power cuts and broken plants, nary a drop to drink

Residents say many plants have been out of order for months.

ISLAMABAD:

Water filtration plants in the sports complex area, Sabzi Mandi, G-10/3, and I-9 have been out of order for months.

Others that are working are in dilapidated condition, with water leaks a routine matter due to the use of substandard materials, according to the residents of these sectors.

Moreover, people have to wait for inordinate amounts of time to get water because everybody gathers at the few taps that are working.

Qasim Khan, a resident of I-9, alleged that due to negligence of the concerned authority, the filtration plants installed in the sector were never repaired nor had their filters replaced on a regular basis.

Karamatullah, a resident of G-9/4, said that the plant in his sector has been offline for more than a month and that residents are forced to go to other sectors to fetch clean water. He blamed the lack of regular maintenances for the plant’s present condition.

Other residents of the area said the official timings for water supply are from 10:00am to 10:00pm, but still they were facing water shortages during this timeframe.

CDA officials placed the blame on WAPDA, saying the supply cuts are due to electricity cuts. Sources in the CDA told The Express Tribune that the contractor hired to run the filtration plants, Rainbow Enterprises, is taking no interest, as they know their contract will not be renewed.

But Ramzan Sajid, a CDA official who deals with filtration plants, said just four of the 37 filtration plants in the city were non-operational. The water issues, he claimed, are because IESCO regularly cuts power to these plants as part of its daily electricity load management.

CDA Filtration Plant Deputy Director Ikhlaq Malik said that the civic agency has appointed focal persons in every sector to address citizens’ complaints about the provision of clean drinking water. He added that the authorities are also working on awarding a new contract for  maintenance.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2012.